GM and Chrysler from Canada

　　General Motors and Chrysler have told authorities in Canada that they need as much as C$10bn (US$7.9bn) in aid to stay afloat, more than double their estimate of three months ago.

　　The request follows a worldwide pattern as the deepening crisis in the motor industry steps up pressure on governments to preserve jobs and sustain technology at carmakers and their parts suppliers.

　　Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, urged the creation of a European-wide aid plan for GM.

　　His colleague, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, economy minister, told Bild am Sonntag newspaper that he had set up a US-German working group on Opel, GM's German unit, with Timothy Geithner, US Treasury secretary.

　　Opel is seeking at least 1.8bn (US$2.3bn) in German state guarantees by 2011 to stay in business and shield it from its Detroit parent's possible bankruptcy. GM has owned the carmaker since 1929 and employs more than 25,000 at four plants. German politicians are at odds over state help for Opel.

　　参考译文：

　　通用汽车(General Motors)和克莱斯勒(Chrysler)已告诉加拿大有关当局，它们需要多达100亿加元（合79亿美元）的资金援助才能维持正常运营——这个数字是它们3个月前估计的两倍还要多。

　　该请求追随了一种全球模式：随着汽车业危机日益加深，各国政府面临了更大的压力，以保护工作岗位和汽车制造商及其零部件供应商的技术。

　　德国外长弗兰克-沃尔特?施泰因迈尔(Frank-Walter Steinmeier)敦促建立一个全欧洲范围的通用汽车救助计划。

　　他的同事——德国经济部长卡尔-特奥多尔?楚?古滕贝格(Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg)向《星期日图片报》(Bild am Sonntag)表示，他已经与美国财长蒂莫西?盖特纳(Timothy Geithner)建立了一个欧宝(Opel)工作小组。欧宝是通用汽车的德国子公司。

　　欧宝正寻求在2011前至少获得18亿欧元（合23亿美元）德国政府担保资金，以维持正常运营，并保护其免受底特律母公司可能破产的影响。通用汽车自1929年开始拥有这家汽车制造商，在4家工厂雇用了逾2.5万名员工。德国政界人士对政府救助欧宝意见不一。